Fractal image compression is a lossy compression technique. Compression is performed by locating self-similar sections of an image, then using a fractal algorithm to generate the sections.
Fractals are a very interesting field of study, but this page won't attempt to cover everything there is to know about fractals. For the most part, we will only look at fractals as they relate to compression. To learn more about this fascinating subject, try looking into some of the resources pointed to by the Fractal FAQ
A very comprehensive page of links from Yuval Fisher, who is right there in the middle of the whole fractal business. This page features a glut of links to papers, bibliographies, books, conferences, and software. You can't go wrong here.
Created: 21/12/2003
by Mark NelsonMore...
The Waterloo Fractal Compression Project is part of a general research programme dedicated to the study of fractal analysis and Iterated Function Systems/Fractal Transforms from both theoretical as well as practical perspectives.
Created: 14/11/1999
by Mark NelsonMore...
ISBN: 0124580106, April 1997, US Price: $55.95. The publisher says: Fractal Imaging presents the logic, technology, and various uses of fractal imaging by analyzing a complete, usable fractal image representation system. The book appears to be designed to help apply fractal imaging.
Created: 02/07/2000
by Mark NelsonMore...
In this paper we present a method that uses Genetic Algorithms (GAs) to find a Local Iterated Function System (LIFS) that encodes a single image. By doing this, the time needed to achieve this LIFS is reduced by about compared with Barnsley's method if similar image quality is desired. If less quality is acceptable, using a GA we can vary the time the encoding will take by changing parameters such as population size and number of generations allowed.
Created: 12/09/2004
by Mark NelsonMore...
A dissertation by Keith Howell which evaluates the suitability of Fractal Compression for spacecraft images. Keith says he is willing to supply source code upon request.
Created: 29/07/2004
by Mark NelsonMore...
A giant bibliography on Fractal Image Compression. Links to online versions of some, but far from all, papers.
Created: 29/09/2002
by Mark NelsonMore...
by Gerry Melnikov, Aggelos K. Katsaggelos. In this paper a hybrid fractal and Discrete Cosine Transform (DCT) coder is developed.
Created: 28/09/2002
by Mark NelsonMore...
Fractal image compression is a promising new technology that may successfully provide a codec for PC-to-PC video communications. Unfortunately, the large amount of computation needed for the compression stage is a major obstacle that needs to be overcome. This paper introduces the Fast Fractal Image Compression algorithm, a new approach to breaking the "speed problem" that has plagued previous efforts.
Created: 28/09/2002
by Mark NelsonMore...
This page offers a program called the IFS Application Framework, a freeware program that does fractal image coding, along with some docs. The author of the page puts it this way: We use insanely complicated mathematics to achieve big compression ratios.
Created: 21/02/2002
by Mark NelsonMore...
The Usenet newsgroup sci.fractals and the listserv forum frac-l are devoted to discussions on fractals. This FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) is an electronic serial compiled from questions and answers contributed by many participants in those discussions. This FAQ also lists various archives of programs, images, and papers that can be accessed through the global computer networks (WWW/Internet/BITNET) by using email, anonymous ftp, gophers, and World Wide Web browsers. This FAQ is not intended as a general introduction to fractals, or a set of rigorous definitions, but rather a useful summary of ideas, sources, and references.
DCL user feedback:The links on that particular page are extremely outdated, as well as a lot of the information. It's still useful, but there's gotta be
a more up-to-date alternative
Created: 30/12/2001
by Mark NelsonMore...
Many publications spanning a wide variety of image processing topics. Dr. Po has papers here on both wavelet and fractical compression, motion estimation, etc.
Created: 30/12/2001
by Mark NelsonMore...
One of the earliest patents regarding fractal compression. Issued 10 July 1990, assigned to Iterated Systems.
Created: 24/12/2001
by Mark NelsonMore...
A fundamental patent for fractal image compression assigned to Iterated Systems. This patent was issued 12 November 1991.
Created: 24/12/2001
by Mark NelsonMore...
A fractal compression patent held by Iterated Systems, Inc. This appears to be a very fundamental patent issued 13 September 1994.
Created: 24/12/2001
by Mark NelsonMore...
Geoff Davis's home page. Geoff has published several of his wavelet papers on the web, including an interesting analysys of Fractal compression in terms of wavelets. At one time Geoff Davis was responsible for a Wavelet toolkit, but it isn't on his new site. Please forward pointers is you find it.
Created: 07/12/2001
by Mark NelsonMore...
A giant bibliography with pointer to on-line papers, as well as some basic information on the state of the art. Not for the timid or the beginner.
Created: 27/08/2001
by Mark NelsonMore...
PhD thesis by Franck Davoine, 20 December 1995. The key to a good fractal compression algorithm is the method by which it breaks down segments of an image into smaller pieces, called partitioning. Davoine introduces a partitioning method based on Delaunay triangulation.
Created: 04/07/2000
by Mark NelsonMore...
This bibliography was compiled from a number of sources, including the extensive bibliographies (in postscript form) by John Kominek and by Dietmar Saupe and Raouf Hamzaoui.
Created: 09/06/2000
by Mark NelsonMore...
Vladimir has pointers to a batch of his papers here, which seem to concentrate on image compression, including VQ and Wavelet based compression. Plus many links to image compression, fractal, and wavelet pages.
Created: 03/06/2000
by Mark NelsonMore...
The University of Bath has a group that is advertised as "world leaders in still image and video coding." They appear to be interested in lossy compression based on DCT, Wavelets, and Fractal compression. This is their home page.
Created: 23/11/1999
by Mark NelsonMore...
by Michael F. Barnsley. A revised and updated textbook focusing on how fractal geometry can be used to model real objects in the physical world. DCL reader TJ says This is, in my experience, the best mathematics book I have ever seen If you are interested in buying this book, please use the link on this page. Your purchase will help to support this site.
Created: 14/11/1999
by Mark NelsonMore...
All papers are in postscript format and are gzipped to save space. The filenames correspond to the naming convention established in my extensive Fractal Bibliography. It probably makes most sense to examine the bibliography first (it is updated regularly), before going on a paper downloading spree.
Created: 07/11/1999
by Mark NelsonMore...
These guys apparently make a couple of variations on a product called Genuine Fractals. The product is a Photoshop plugin that appears to read fractal file formats and do some sort of scaling. If this is a grotesque misrepresentation of what the product does, feel free to email a correction.
Created: 07/11/1999
by Mark NelsonMore...
by Yuval Fisher (Editor). Featuring a collection of articles by twelve experts in the field of fractal image compression, this book contains the complete details of how to encode and decode images, offering working codes that are usable in applications. Includes some of the latest results in this field.. If you are interested in buying this book, please use the link on this page. Your purchase will help to support this site.
Created: 13/02/1999
by Mark NelsonMore...
By David G. Green, Environmental and Information Sciences, Charles Sturt University. A short tutorial that provides an introduction to just what fractals are all about.
Created: 23/12/1998
by Mark NelsonMore...
